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ALDS Thread: Yankees vs Red Sox

Helobious

By Helobious
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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 54466

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Holt has always been a great story:

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“Swing the bat like this,” Holt’s parents kept trying to tell the young boy in Stephenville, Texas.

Brock insisted on swinging left-handed and his parents, who had never played the game and knew little about it, fought against it at first. But when Brock was playing baseball he was too happy to argue with.

“He always wanted to be a baseball player,” his 23-year-old sister, Shelby, said. “In the car on road trips he would practice his autograph. I’d tell him which ones looked cooler. That’s all he’s ever wanted. I think he’s always known. You have to have some confidence to make it, especially when people are telling you you can’t.”

Boston Red Sox 3B Brock Holt in his younger yearsA look at Holt (1) in his earliest baseball days. (Courtesy friends of the Holt family) 

And Holt heard that a lot.

Weighing 84 pounds when he entered high school, Holt wasn’t exactly an athletic freak. Even now he checks in at about 180.

At Stephenville High School, a quarter of the town’s 18,000 population would be at the weekly football games. Holt played through his freshman year. He ran great routes at wide receiver and, by all accounts, was quite good. He wanted to keep playing, which wouldn't be a problem for some of the best athletes, the ones who could trip and fall into success, but Holt wasn't one of them. He had to work at everything he did, and a season of football would take time that could be better spent on the baseball diamond.

"It's always been that way for Brock," said Julio Jimenez, Holt's high school coach.

Unfortunately for Holt, Stephenville was known for football. Neither baseball scouts nor college coaches made it to the school’s baseball field.

“It was tough at Stephenville, “ Holt said. “Nobody cared about baseball other than (Jimenez), me and a few other guys. The guys that played did it just because it was something to do.”

Holt made the team as a freshman. And while he was, quite literally, half the size of some of his teammates, he fit the mold of the team’s mascot, a Yellow Jacket.
Yellow Jackets are known for being aggressive and energetic, buzzing around on sugar-highs. Holt didn’t have much power or the strongest arm, but his energy and quick feet caught the eye of Jimenez.

“If you were to ask me back when he was an 84-pound second baseman if he was going to play in the big leagues, I’d be lying if I said yeah,” Jimenez said. “It’s just the work ethic.”

Holt, who often hung out with the older kids in school, just wanted to prove he belonged.

“I could barely hit the ball out of the infield,” Holt said recently at Minute Maid Park. He paused for a second, looked up at the infield and realized he had short-changed himself. “Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But I remember one time I got thrown out at first from right field because the right fielder was playing so shallow.”

Holt clearly understood everything fighting against him. Energy, hustle and desire aren’t attributes that light up on radar guns. And if it wasn’t for a particularly rainy spring in Stephenville back in 2003, there’s a fair chance Holt would’ve never been discovered at all. But the rain flooded the high school fields and the only way the Yellow Jackets were going to play baseball was if a college donated their facilities.

Navarro College, a small junior college in Corsicana about two hours away, graciously opened up its doors and invited Stephenville to play two games there. “We got on a bus and drove down,” Jimenez said. As soon as the final out was recorded, Navarro coach Skip Johnson came running over to the Stephenville bench.

“You know who your best player is?” Johnson asked Jimenez.

“Yeah, I know,” Jimenez said. “It’s my little second baseman, my little 84-pound second baseman.”

Holt walked over, Johnson said, “don’t let anybody tell you can’t play this game,” and offered him a scholarship on the spot.

“That’s how good I thought he was going to be,” Johnson said. “A tough kid, had all the skill level, hands feet, a guy you want to drive hours to watch play because he plays with such passion. That hit me with a right hook.”

Holt played four years at Stephenville and hit well, “but not .500 like you see a lot of high school kids hit now,” he said. The little second baseman never received another scholarship offer.

--

Holt arrived at Navarro still small and hungry, his desire out-pacing his belief. Worry crept into his mind rarely, rare enough where even his sister couldn't spot it. But a stress fracture in his lower back threatened his freshman year and everything he had worked for.

His back limiting his ability to walk, Holt hit .356 with one home run, playing most of the season until his body finally fought back.

Boston Red Sox 3B Brock Holt in his younger yearsEven with his talent, Holt had to work hard to stand out on the field. (Courtesy friends of the Holt family) 

“I couldn’t even stand up straight, had to bend over so it wouldn’t ache like a sharp pain in my back,” he said. “That summer I had to wear a brace for six weeks just to keep everything straight. That wasn’t fun.”

Holt's confidence was dwindling, Navarro coach Whoa Dill thought, and Holt needed his confidence. He needed his enthusiasm. Some can get by on talent, but talent alone is never enough for the small second basemen.

“There were times we had to tell him, ‘Look, you have a chance to play in the big leagues,’” said Dill, who took over for Skip Johnson in 2007. “He didn’t believe that at the time. But once he played with everyone else he knew he was good enough.”

Holt returned for his sophomore year and hit .405 with seven home runs. He was a team leader in the dugout. He was happy, doing well in school and suddenly college coaches from around the country wanted to talk to him.

“He did things that caused his team to win,” Dill tried to explain Holt's ability. “He was the dirtiest guy on the field, that kid who was 5-6, 130 pounds, but he just turned your head. His arm action, his feet; he could field it, throw it, hit it.

“After his freshman year I knew he was going to be really special. There was no doubt. He was the best player to walk through Navarro College. Chris Davis (the Baltimore Orioles first baseman) played here. But (Holt) is the best all-around player I’ve ever seen. Chris has the best power, he’s a better hitter. Brock was a better all-around player. Just the little things.”

For the first time in his life, Holt was in demand.

“You start competing against better kids you start thinking, ‘Hey, I can do this,’” he said.

Rice University wasn’t far away in Houston. Graham has a history of converting college players into major league draft picks. Holt wouldn’t stand out at Rice, where the students running along the sidewalk could pass for part-time bodybuilders, but he would at least play against the best, so he chose Rice for his junior season.

“There’s always a bias against the smaller player,” said Graham, who coached Holt for one year at Rice. “The smaller player has to prove himself every step of the way."

Boston Red Sox 3B Brock Holt in his younger yearsHolt has had to deal with being labeled a "small player" for a long time. (Courtesy friends of the Holt family) 

In the field, Holt is quick on his feet with almost-instant reaction times. But his simple approach at the plate is what won coaches over. He crouches down low and keeps his bat in a ready position, offering a quick smack with a smooth swing path that allowed him to catch up to any fastball. He had “sneaky power,” one scout said.

“Of all the players I’ve had, (Holt) was the player you couldn’t throw the ball by,” Graham said. “You see anybody throw the ball by him in the big leagues? Nope. He has a quick bat. That was the most distinguishing part of him as a player.”

Injuries came and went, Holt's coaches rarely hearing about them. Graham had been told stories of Holt being injured at Navarro and believed he played his entire season at Rice with a broken hand, but Holt played so well Graham couldn't really tell.

Anthony Rendon was the big player on campus, winning awards as he crushed 20 home runs with a .388 average in 2008. Holt quietly hit .348 with 12 home runs.

Trophies with Rendon’s name on it currently line the shelves in the baseball office at Reckling Park.

--

There’s a bias against smaller players in baseball, not because they can’t hit, but because major league general managers and front office number crunchers are terrified of injuries.

Injuries will kill a team’s season immediately, and they can’t be accounted for in preseason projections.

“The major league season is a grind,” said Cherington, who has had good luck with smaller players but understands the perceived bias. “It’s a tougher season than any other baseball season. It’s the toughest baseball season in the world and it does require certain physical and mental stamina to get through that. I suppose it’s possible that’s why it’s harder for a scout or anyone in the front office to be convinced on a smaller guy, because a smaller guy can face more challenges.”

In the 2009 first-year player draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had scouted Holt ferociously at Rice and thought highly of the little second baseman, selected him in the ninth round, making him the 265th player chosen.

“We felt like he was an interesting guy to take in the top 10 rounds,” Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. “He was just a battler. Commanded the zone, put the barrel on the ball and was just a tough out.”

Graham advised Holt to stay in college another season and see if he could make more of a splash in the draft the following year.

Boston Red Sox 3B Brock Holt in his younger yearsHolt during his days at Rice University (Credit: Tommy Lavergne, Rice University Photography) 

“I thought Brock was a very good player,” Graham said. “I thought if he makes it, he’s going to have to prove himself every step of the way. And Brock evidently knew that because I didn’t want him to leave. He didn’t get a lot of money to sign. I wanted him to comeback his senior year, he was a really good player. I tried to talk him out of it. I think he might’ve gotten a little over 100 grand to sign, but he realized, ‘I want to play in the big leagues and I’m going to have to make it every step of the way.’ That’s the way he had to do it.”

Holt sat on the decision for a week. But this wasn’t about money or pride. Being a ninth-round pick for Holt was no different than being a first-round pick or a 49th-round pick.

He had a chance. That’s all that he kept thinking about. He had a chance.

 

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Fozzz

Fozzz 152

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I generally believe that managers get far more shit than they normally deserve, but Boone is a fucking a clown.  I can't believe an org as smart as the Yankees hired his dumb ass.  Still, Porcello is nearly Tanaka-bad at limiting HRs, and playing in that bandbox in the Bronx, I think the Yankees force a game five.  

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Fudge Nuggets

Fudge Nuggets 19227

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33 minutes ago, Fozzz said:

I generally believe that managers get far more shit than they normally deserve, but Boone is a fucking a clown.  I can't believe an org as smart as the Yankees hired his dumb ass.  Still, Porcello is nearly Tanaka-bad at limiting HRs, and playing in that bandbox in the Bronx, I think the Yankees force a game five.  

I didn't see last night's game, but was there anything specific that Boone did that was real dumbassed or is this just a general statement based on a full year confirming his dumbassedness?

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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 54466

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1 hour ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

I didn't see last night's game, but was there anything specific that Boone did that was real dumbassed or is this just a general statement based on a full year confirming his dumbassedness?

I'm not going to begrudge him for leaving his struggling-but-far-and-away-best-starting pitcher in the game for what turned out to be too long, but this is full of dumbassedness:

Quote

“Just hoping [Severino] could get something started to get through the bottom of the lineup there,” said Boone afterwards, “And then we would have Lynn ready for Betts no matter what. And then once the first two guys got on there, thinking Bradley is in a bunting situation, thinking we’re going to take him out and go to the pen there.”

The Red Sox had seven sacrifice bunts all season, none of them by Bradley, who hasn’t laid down a sacrifice bunt since 2015.

 

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WBT

WBT 20672

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2 hours ago, Fozzz said:

He waited too long to pull the trigger on Sevy and he should have thrown one of his best relievers out there to put out the fire.  Lynn could have started the next inning.  

I've read a couple of articles saying this today and I just can't buy it.  The game ended up 16-1, it doesn't matter how he would have rearranged the deck chairs.  It was just one of those nights for NY's entire staff.

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Fozzz

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26 minutes ago, WBT said:

I've read a couple of articles saying this today and I just can't buy it.  The game ended up 16-1, it doesn't matter how he would have rearranged the deck chairs.  It was just one of those nights for NY's entire staff.

They were bad decisions irrespective of what happened afterwards.  Moreover, you can't just say the Red Sox would have won any way as there's no way to know what would have happened had that inning played out differently.  

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Helobious

Helobious 9467

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32 minutes ago, WBT said:

I've read a couple of articles saying this today and I just can't buy it.  The game ended up 16-1, it doesn't matter how he would have rearranged the deck chairs.  It was just one of those nights for NY's entire staff.

Boone is easily one of the 5 worst managers in the game right now. No feel for the situation at all and just horrible at in-game decisions, all season long. He let a 3-0 game spiral out of control without giving ANY of his best relievers a shot to keep it contained early. Regardless of how tonight’s game or this series turns out, it’s apparent this team won’t go far with Boone at the helm.

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dbecks

dbecks 442

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Ron Darling can suck a lemon.

http:// https://nesn.com/2018/10/did-red-sox-break-baseballs-unwritten-rules-in-alds-blowout-of-yankees/amp/


TBS color analyst Ron Darling, a former big league player himself, took notice, seemingly inferring Benintendi broke baseball’s “unwritten rules” by swiping the bag with a nine-run lead.

“Well, I guess (that’s) from the school of never taking anything for granted. You don’t usually see that. In the postseason, maybe, in the regular season, never,” Darling said on the broadcast.

For added effect, Darling’s broadcast partner, Brian Anderson, followed that up by restating the score.

Fast-forward to the seventh inning. Benintendi again piqued Darling’s interest, this time swinging at a 3-0 pitch with the Red Sox still leading 10-1.

“I found (Benintendi stealing in the fourth inning) unusual, but you know, you can still keep pushing the envelope,” Darling said after Benintendi fouled off the pitch. “But boy, swinging 3-0 in the seventh with a 10-1 lead … there used to be a book, there’s no book anymore, everything’s grey, but I would find that offensive, personally.”

He added: “You have to judge for yourself if rubbing it in ever starts to rub you the wrong way.”

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Helobious

Helobious 9467

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31 minutes ago, dbecks said:

Ron Darling can suck a lemon.

http:// https://nesn.com/2018/10/did-red-sox-break-baseballs-unwritten-rules-in-alds-blowout-of-yankees/amp/


TBS color analyst Ron Darling, a former big league player himself, took notice, seemingly inferring Benintendi broke baseball’s “unwritten rules” by swiping the bag with a nine-run lead.

“Well, I guess (that’s) from the school of never taking anything for granted. You don’t usually see that. In the postseason, maybe, in the regular season, never,” Darling said on the broadcast.

For added effect, Darling’s broadcast partner, Brian Anderson, followed that up by restating the score.

Fast-forward to the seventh inning. Benintendi again piqued Darling’s interest, this time swinging at a 3-0 pitch with the Red Sox still leading 10-1.

“I found (Benintendi stealing in the fourth inning) unusual, but you know, you can still keep pushing the envelope,” Darling said after Benintendi fouled off the pitch. “But boy, swinging 3-0 in the seventh with a 10-1 lead … there used to be a book, there’s no book anymore, everything’s grey, but I would find that offensive, personally.”

He added: “You have to judge for yourself if rubbing it in ever starts to rub you the wrong way.”

He also made up the story about Sevy not knowing when the game started.

And fuck Benintendi. I concede that he did absolutely nothing wrong. Not in the game, as a player, a person, or anything else. But fuck him anyway.

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Guadaloopy

Guadaloopy 11022

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55 minutes ago, spystud13 said:

Passan crushes Angel Hernandez. 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/awful-umpiring-angel-hernandez-lawsuit-mlb-bosses-falls-flat-072329959.html

 

I’m sure that Angel Hernandez will make himself almost invisible in an elimination game for the Yankees against their biggest rival that will be one of the most watched games of the season.  

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dbecks

dbecks 442

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There's no reason to believe he's a good enough hitter to start him against a LHP, even when the alternative is the burned out husk of Ian Kinsler.


Holt hit .292 vs lefties this year. But I’ll defer to Cora on this one.

Still a good chance Brock Star comes off the bench once the Yankees go to the ‘pen.
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